Decision and Regrets
by RuyLopez
Summary: Fate brought Gold and Crystal together, but will Fate also be responsible for tearing them apart? How will the couple face the challenges that lies ahead of them? MangaQuestShipping.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey there pretty lady, would you like a drink?"

I looked up and stood before me was a young man of average height. He had spiky hair and enchanting golden eyes. Maintaining eye contact with him was almost impossible as those eyes seemed to pierce directly into my soul.

"No thank you, please leave me alone." I blurted out on instinct and quickly looked away. I had no intention of continuing our conversation. Flirtatious people chatting up girls at bars probably had an ulterior motive. I believed he was no exception.

He walked off and I heaved a sigh of relief. I had taken leave tomorrow and had been forced to accompany my friend, Sapphire.

 _Speaking of Sapphire… Where was she?_

Upon the sudden realisation I was sitting alone, I quickly stood up and looked around for my friend. I had every intention of giving her a piece of my mind for leaving me alone.

Standing about 20 feet away from me was Sapphire - a slim girl with light brown hair that falls on each side of her face in two long locks. She was chatting with a lean guy with red eyes. His hair was completely white. If I wasn't angry I probably would have wondered if those white hairs were natural.

 _Sapphire.. I am going to beat the crap out of you._

I was about to walk over when the same guy strutted towards me holding two glasses of drinks. He placed them on the table between us and made himself comfortable on the seat beside me.

"My name's Gold! And you are?"

"Didn't hear me the first time? Leave me alone" I raised my voice. I was putting on a brave front and I was sure my eyes were giving away how fearful and vulnerable I had felt.

"Chill lady – "

"Get lost!"

"You don't have to be so afraid of –"

I clenched my fist and looked directly at him, trying to appear as scary as I could.

"Fine, Super Serious Gal." With that, he stormed off, probably to look for another potential girl to spend the night with.

 _What is this guy's problem?_

I walked up angrily to Sapphire, ready to let her know what had transpired and how it was her fault.

"Hey Saph –"

It then dawned upon me that Sapphire was busy making out with the white haired individual. I was ignored as both of them had their arms wrapped around each other and entertained a passionate kiss I could only describe with one word – sloppy. That guy was groping her butt in the midst of it all.

"Hey!" I shoved him. "Don't you dare touch my friend in that manner you jerk!" I quickly broke their kiss and put some distance between them, holding Sapphire closer to me.

"Hey Crys what are you doing, why did you interfere? Let go of me!" Sapphire slurred. It was obvious that she had one too many to drink and was losing touch with reality.

"Come to your senses Saph, he was taking advantage of you!"

"Him? Oh Ruby is a nice.. He's a nice guy! Not every guy here is bad! Stop being so narrow minded! It's no wonder you have no boyfriend up to this point in your life. You must learn to have fun Crys, now let go of me!" With that, Sapphire attempted to break free.

Ruby merely stood there. He was grinning from ear to ear and did not seem to be able to process what was happening. It was apparent that he was intoxicated as well.

"Hey.. is everything alright?"

 _That voice sounded familiar.._

I turned around and saw Gold standing before me. His golden eyes reflected a serious look.

"It's none of your business, Gold".

"Well.. your pretty friend was making out with my friend, how could it be none of my business?"

 _Ruby is Gold's friend? Oh great, just great._

At this point, Sapphire broke free and retreated to Ruby. They locked arms and had stupid grins on their faces.

 _Pissed would be an understatement._

Gold and I stood outside the bar with our eyes locked on a cab that was about to make a left turn and disappear from sight. Well, long story short, Sapphire was bent on following Ruby home. I had tried to convince Sapphire otherwise and had failed miserably.

 _Whatever…_

"Hey pretty lady, how are you getting home?"

With that, Gold broke my train of thought.

"Well, I live around this area, so I guess I'll be walking home. What about you?"

"I live around the area too! What a coincidence! Maybe it's a sign that we should go home together!" Gold purposely emphasised on the word together and I blushed instantly.

 _Wait, why was I blushing?_

"Are you crazy? You better watch that language!"

"Come on now, you don't have to be shy, it was pretty obvious you had entertained that thought, even for a second. By the way, will you make breakfast for me in bed?"

What was wrong with him? Can't he speak normally? I'm sure that I was not the first person to hear this and definitely wouldn't be the last. I raised my fist and aimed for his shoulder.

"Kidding, I'm kidding! You know, you don't have to be so serious all the time, Super Serious Gal. I guess I'll head back for more drinks. See ya around…"

"The name's Crystal."

"Right! See ya Crys."

"Who gave you the permission to call me Crys? It's Crystal to you!"

Gold smiled and walked off in the direction of the bar. I chased after him and grabbed him by the arm.

"I need your phone number."

"What?" He looked shocked.

"If something were to happen to Saph, I need a number to give to the authorities. That white haired dude was your friend right? Give me your number, now".

Gold laughed. It went on for a full minute before I interrupted.

"What's so funny? Do I look like I'm joking? I'm not letting go until you give me your number."

"Well…"

"Well?"

"Many girls have tried various methods to get my number, and you win the prize for creativity!" He said while holding back his laughter. I could not believe this guy. I would love to give him the beating of his life.

"Pass me your phone, Crys."

I swiftly handed him my phone and he saved his number in my phone.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home? It's late and dark out there."

"I'll be fine by myself, thanks for the offer though."

"Well Crys, that's the most pleasant thing you've said this entire night! Bye then!"

With that, he took off and blended into the crowded bar.

I slowly made my way home. Along the way, I could not stop thinking of Gold. I had not been so angry for a while now and Gold tops my list of "most rude individuals I have met". I didn't know why, but deep down I felt a little happy. I was happy to have met this rude individual? I must be going insane, or intoxicated. I slapped myself and tried my best to forget Gold. However, the harder I tried, the harder it was for him to leave my mind.

 _Little did I know that he would soon become the most important person in my life. Little did I know he would be the one causing me so much pain. Little did I know…_

 _If I had known, I would've hugged him before I left._

Author's words:

Hey everyone, thank you for reading. Do leave reviews and do favourite if you like this story! I challenged myself to write this story and complete it within 2 weeks. Hence, I strive to finish by 8 October 2015. Please go easy on me as this is the first fiction I have ever written.

:)


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was ablaze with fiery orange with the outer edges of the sky cooling into the indigo of the night. The sea teemed and hissed and lashed upon the pebbles along the sandy beach and slowly retreated backwards. Seagulls were squawking and squabbling over scraps of food, their cries loud and brash in the faltering light. What a beautiful sight to behold.

Suddenly, Gold reached out to me and took my hand.

"What are you doing? Let go of me you creep!" I screamed. However, as much as I tried to struggle, I couldn't break free from his iron clad hold on me. In fact, I realised I had failed to voice my intentions. He angled his body against me and lowered his lips to mine, brushing them lightly. The moment our lips met, time stood still. I was lost in the vanilla scent of his lips and there was nothing I could do about it.

I groaned and tried to push him away but I was not in control of my own body. I stood there like a slave, giving in to my emotions.

 _This felt so right. Please don't stop, Gold._

"beep…beep…beep…beep…beep"

Ugh.. What time is it? Please don't tell me its 10am already.

I opened my eyes. The lights penetrated through my curtains and seemed to dance around me. It was coupled with the annoying chirps the birds were making. Would those inconsiderate birds shut up? My head wasn't feeling too well. It must have been the alcohol from last night. I vaguely recalled Saph making me drink a few pure shots of vodka. Thanks Saph, I'll be enjoying this bitter vodka taste in my mouth throughout the day.

 _Speaking of Sapphire.._

I quickly sat up and looked for my phone. Searching for my phone had never been so difficult. Nursing a headache certainly didn't help one bit. I grabbed my phone from under my pillow and entered speed dial 1. Saph's face took over my phone's visuals as I activated the loudspeaker.

"beep.. beep..beep"

"The pidgey mobile customer is currently unavailable, please try again later."

What the heck? She better be safe.

"beep..beep..beep"

"The pidgey mobile –"

I ended the call. Stupid Saph. Just wait until I get my hands on you.

I sat there lost in thought, trying my best to recall last night's events. Gold.. that's right, I had forcefully extracted his number from him.

 _Gold.._

The dream I had earlier came rushing into my head like a tidal wave. We were at a beach.. and we kissed. Me? Kiss Gold? Never! There were seagulls.. was it during sunset? It was like trying to hold water in cupped hands – the details were disappearing with each attempt to recall them.

 _Sigh…_

I called Gold.

"Hello, Gold speaking." His voice was soft and tired. It was obvious I had awoken him from his slumber. His voice was also husky and rough, it sounded really sexy..

 _Sexy? There was definitely something wrong with me._

"Hey! I can't contact Saph! What did your friend do to her? Mister, you better find out right now before I come over and tear you apart!" I screamed at the top of my voice.

"Ouch, you don't have to scream you know, I have a better suggestion, why don't you come over and have some fun? I'm sure we'll have a great –"

"I'm warning you! If you do not get back to me in ten minutes about Saph's whereabouts, I'll be sure to call the cops!"

"Alright alright, chill Super Serious Gal, later then."

And with that, he hung up on me.

I slumped back on my bed. The headache was killing me. I swore to myself to never drink alcohol ever again. I attempted to clear my head of all the poisonous thoughts I had recently and before I knew it, I was drifting back to sleep.

"beep..beep"

I quickly unlocked my phone. There was a text message from Gold.

"Your friend's alright, she somehow managed to break her phone last night, that's why you couldn't get through to her. She wants me to let you know that she'll be back home by the hour and not to worry."

I let out a sigh of relief. All's well I guess? Anyway, time to get up you lazy girl. You've been sleeping for way too long.

At this moment, I received another text message. Who could it be? It must be from one of my colleagues. What a bad timing, I was in no state to go back to work, and definitely didn't want to when I'm on leave.

"Hey pretty lady, are you free at 7pm later?"

What.. in the world? Was Gold asking me out? Me? Of all the girls that he could have scored last night? Damn it, he must have failed and I must be his backup plan. There was no way I was going out with him! Someone like him definitely doesn't deserve any rights to my virgin date experience!

I clicked on the reply button and quickly typed a no – with the magical word in block letters. Yet, when I was about to send the message, I found myself hesitating.

What was wrong with me? Keep calm Crys, take a deep breath. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. That's right, now stay calm and hit the send button. Stay calm, Crys. My phone softly vibrated once again.

"Well Crys, silence is consent! I'll meet you at Goldenrod later at 7pm! :D"

I can't believe it! What in the world have I done? Oh my god…

 _If I had blocked his number and stayed home, nothing would have happened._

 _If only.._

 _I'm sorry, Gold._

Author's words: 11 days left! As usual, do favourite and review!

:)


	3. Chapter 3

Stood before me was a gorgeous girl. She was clad in a one-piece dress with a peculiar although not unbecoming shade of blue. Perched on the back of her head was a neatly tied red ribbon. Light foundation spread across her face, giving it a light glow. Man, she was drop-dead gorgeous, I thought, as I admired myself in the mirror.

I quickly checked the time – 6.20pm. Great, I'll probably be early, as usual. That creep better be punctual, otherwise I'll kill him. I unknowingly smiled to myself at the thought of Gold.

 _Gold, what have you done to me?_

Goldenrod city was about thirty minutes away. I would have to catch the bus, which would be arriving any minute. I picked up my light brown handbag and quickly left the house.

I couldn't come to terms with it, but I was shy and nervous. This was going to be the first time going out with a guy. Wait, was this even considered a date? Or was Gold planning on drugging me and having his way with me? It was probably the latter. The thought of Gold having his way with me caused me to feel significantly warmer. I quickly took out a compact mirror and made sure I was presentable. I was never a vain individual, but it must have been the alcohol I had ingested the previous night. I tried to forget the multitude of questions I had and convinced myself that I had dressed nicely not for Gold, but for myself.

 _Yeah right, Crys.._

I received a call from Gold. I answered it swiftly and withouthesitation.

"Hello?"

"Hey Super Serious Gal, are you on the way yet?" Gold chirped happily.

Was he that happy to see me? Or was he hoping that I'll forget so as to cancel our date?

"Yeah, I'll be reaching in five minutes, where will we be meeting?"

"Meet me outside GoldenSteak n' Grill! Remember, you owe me a kiss for every minute you are late! See you soon!"

"Hey! What did —"

With that, he hung up on me, again.

The streets bristled and teemed with life. People were walking along the six-foot ways of both sides of the street. Cars roared loudly as they cruised by. I had been so cooped up with work that I couldn't remember the last time I had visited Goldenrod city for entertainment. The few times I had visited was due to my job. I made a mental note to myself to come by more often.

Within a few minutes, I found myself outside the restaurant where I would be meeting Gold.

"Crys?"

I looked over to Gold. He was smartly dressed in a semi-formal shirt and a light brown jacket. His spiky hair poked out of his snapback. Well, it looks like he still hasn't got rid of the cap that he worn yesterday night - I didn't mind but I was insanely curious about how he would look without his cap. I walked quickly towards him.

"Hey! You're surprisingly on time!"

He stood there staring at me, seemingly dazed.

"Hey Gold! I'm talking to you!"

"Hey Crys.."

"Is everything alright? Is there something on my face? You're scaring me!" I touched my own face, searching for what I would probably imagine to be a smudge of my makeup.

"N-No it's just that you looked really gorgeous, Crys."

"Thanks" I instinctively replied, and blushed immediately.

"Well, let's head in shall we? I'm famished."

"Yeah, lets" I said as we walked to the entrance of the restaurant.

Upon our entry, a waitress quickly attended to us. "Good evening, I'm sorry but we are currently full at the moment, would you kindly wait for a few minutes? We're sorry for any inconvenience –"

"Ah, I made a reservation, my name's Gold."

"Mr. Gold! Yes we have been expecting you! As requested, we have reserved a table on the second level by the window. Let me accompany you upstairs!" The waitress purred seductively. What was her problem? The nerve of her to flirt with my date! Only I have the right to flirt with him tonight! I wanted to give her a piece of my mind, but Gold beat me to answering her.

"Thanks! But its fine, I've been here before."

Gold held my hand and I immediately felt heat rising up towards my face. His hand was large, rough, but most importantly, warm. In the corner of my eye, I could discern the waitress looking extremely pissed. Now that was satisfying: I guess I'll let him hold my hand until we leave.

It was an undeniably busy setting. Waiters were fighting against time as they quickly made their way to and fro. The place was choking full of charming antique wooden furniture, with the smell of pasta and bread filling the entire place, causing my stomach to growl with each step I took. We were seated beside a window where I could see the busy street of Goldenrod which teemed with different arrays of light.

"So, what will you be having?" Gold said as he fumbled with the menu. I flipped the menu open and was spoilt for choice.

Wait a minute, this is my first date isn't it? This isn't another night with my girlfriends where we stuff ourselves with so much food that we could barely move afterwards. Oh my god, must I order a salad? I don't want to my poor stomach to suffer when I sleep tonight.

While I was having the personal mental battle, Gold lightly tapped my hand.

"You ready to order?"

"Yeah, I sure am!"

Gold waved his hand and got the attention of the same waitress that tried to seduce him minutes ago.

"Hello , what would you be having?"

"I'll have steak and mixed grill! Also I'll like a 1995 Torchic red wine, two glasses please. What would you like to have, Crys?"

"Umm, I guess I'll have the same as my handsome boyfriend!" I said while trying my best to churn out the cutest smile that I could. The waitress' face was priceless. I mentally gave myself a high five for punishing people who try to flirt with guys on dates. You can thank me later, girls! I smiled gleefully as she quickly walked off. Seconds later, she brought the wine over and set it down on the table, eyeing Gold the entire time.

"It's alright, I'll pour the wine, don't trouble yourself, miss" Gold took the wine from her hand and slowly began to pour into my glass. She angrily stormed off.

 _That's right, beat it you flirt!_

Gold slowly sat back down and looked at me with a small grin.

"You know, you're so cute when you get jealous and aggressive like that." I was taken aback. I didn't expect him to find out; after all, such commotions between females were not easily picked up by guys, right?

"Wh..What are you talking about? I'm not jealous! Anyway, you offered to buy me drinks, ask me out for dinner, but I don't know anything about you, so start talking!" I said, trying to change the subject.

"Well, I'm currently here on a business trip. I don't live in this area, I grew up in New Bark Town." Gold replied. "I'll probably be here for a month or so.

"Oh, so what do you do here?" I curiously asked.

"Well, I'm a professional chess player. I was taught by my Dad when I was five and I've caught on since. I'll be playing in the upcoming competition held here. Sigh, how I wished Dad was still around to see me play." Gold said, with his sharp golden eyes giving off a passionate spark.

"Sorry about the loss Gold, I didn't mean for you to bring up any unhappy memory." I apologised. I quickly took a huge gulp of Torchic and immediately felt sick. I reached for a napkin as the taste reminded me of last night's events.

"Haha, silly girl, is this first time consuming wine? That's not how you drink it – you take a small sip and let it whirl around your tongue before swallowing it. This is not vodka you know, only with vodka you chug as much as you can through your throat" Gold playfully said.

"What about you Crys? What do you do for a living? Are you still studying?"

"Well.. I'm a research assistant at Elm Science and Technology. I majored in Biology and have been in this industry for two years now. ." I replied. "Do I look that young to be still studying? I'd have you know that I'm turning 23 this year."

"Great! It looks like we're the same age!"

At this point, the waitress served our food and I happily dug in. The sight of Gold eating ravenously reminded me of a small boy. It might be a turn off to other girls, but I certainly couldn't stop smiling.

The food was great. I had to exercise self-control and eat in a feminine manner, in hope that Gold would not run off after ten seconds. It was terrible but I tried my best. How do other girls do it?

I also learnt a great deal about Gold. I was quite surprised to know that him, having a flirty persona, would engage in an occupation that consists of nerds. Yeah, I was being stereotypical, sorry to those whom I've offended, but it certainly is refreshing to meet a guy with a burning passion.

Since we still had time, we decided to catch a movie. The movie theatre was just one street away. The last time I had caught a movie at a theatre was just after my graduation – about two years ago.

"Well, that was a good meal!" Gold exclaimed.

"Yeah, that was really good; by the way, what movie are we going to watch?"

"Well, I've read great reviews about Goodnight Jynx – it's about this strange doll who underwent plastic surgery and comes back to haunt their owners. Are you alright with watching a horror film, Crys? If you get easily scared then perhaps we should watch something else."

"I love horror films! It's been a while since I last saw one, let's hurry up!" I said excitedly. "Oh yeah, I want popcorn and nachos too! Let me pay for the food this time!"

"Didn't we just have dinner? You sure can eat a lot for someone with that physique" Gold said and laughed.

"My physique? Stop checking me out you pervert!" I tried to hit Gold but he suddenly made a dash towards the cinema.

 _The nerve of him._

"Come back, let me show you how much physical pain a girl of my physique can inflict." I shouted and chased after him. Several people were looking at us as we made a dash for the cinema. Normally, I would have been embarrassed by our actions but for some reason I was smiling as I tried to catch Gold.

"Huff.. huff.. huff" I panted as I walked over to Gold who was also busy catching his breath.

"I-I've caught you, jerk.. come here!" I playfully hit his right shoulder.

"Huff.. huff.. let me buy the tickets first, you stay here." Gold said as he approached the booth.

The brightly lit entrance of the cinema was crowded. Quite a few people turned and looked at us – you didn't see two adults behaving like kids in public often. Gold didn't seem to notice them as he stood behind the line which was, as usual, a mile long.

About twenty minutes later, Gold returned with two tickets for Goodnight Jynx and we entered the theatre together.

The movie was alright, it didn't really have a solid plot but it sure had a lot of jump scares. Gold got couple seats for us, probably envisioning putting his arms around me when the chance arose. I wasn't afraid of the film; in fact, I was busy chuckling at Gold who covered his eyes 90% of the time. He looked extremely adorable when he was afraid.

"Boo" I whispered.

Gold jumped. Even in the darkness of the theatre, I could tell his face was as white as a sheet and I immediately felt apologetic. But then again, it was sweet revenge for the times he had made fun of me. I used my hand and attempted to hide my laughter as I lay back on the side of my seat.

After the movie it suddenly hit me that I didn't have a way to get home. Transport services had ceased and I was stuck here in Goldenrod City. Luckily, Gold offered to drive me home.

"Well, I think we should catch the sequel of Goodnight Jynx soon! What do you think Gold? Perhaps you should wear shades if you're too scared." I said cheekily, intending to poke fun at him.

"A- Ahem, I wasn't that afraid. It was just that I didn't have enough sleep from drinking last night, so I guessed the jump scares had more impact on me."

"Sure, of course, I'm sure that was the reason". I replied sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not as masculine as you, Crys. The way you ate tonight was a clear indication of your real gender. It's no wonder you aren't afraid of horror—"

"Excuse me?" I screamed at Gold.

He didn't reply but instead laughed hysterically at his own joke. I rolled my eyes - I mean, who laughs at their own jokes?

I looked out of the window and admired the scenery. Trees lined up in a single file came into sight and disappeared as quickly as it took them to appear. The night sky was studded with thousands of beautiful twinkling stars. I tried to identify the different constellations the stars belonged to.

We reached my place about ten minutes later.

"I had a wonderful night, Crys" Gold said as he walked me to my door.

"Yeah, it was a blast, thank you for tonight" I said and blushed. I have heard multiple stories from my friends back in college that this was when the kiss was most likely to happen. I didn't know if I was ready to kiss him yet.

"Goodnight." Gold said as he was preparing to leave.

"Goodnight, drive safe." I said as I looked at him, trying my best not to shy away from those enchanting golden eyes.

After like what seemed to be an eternity, Gold turned around and walked in the direction of his car. He waved at me before disappearing into the darkness of the night. Instead of feeling relieved, I felt slightly disappointed that he did not even attempt to kiss me.

 _I didn't want to admit to myself but 'slightly disappointed' was a gross understatement._

Author's Words: Sorry if it took awhile. I'll also like to specially thank HopelessRomantic for the review

:)


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